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Post by Zethren on Sept 7, 2012 4:07:47 GMT
Hello, i just recently received my Darksword Armory 12th Century Medieval Sword (militaris templi). It's my first two handed euro sword, but i just noticed that the blade is a bit whippy or wobbly, is that normal? the blade width near the guard is more than 2 inches, which spreads the steel in that area quite a bit, and is flatter or thinner edge-wise near the guard than I expected, while the top part of the blade where the fuller ends is a bit thick, which adds to the weight, causing it to sag or droop a little when held side ways. its not really that bad, but the blade tends to vibrate when its hit sideways (or on the flat) i just like to have some feedback from some folks who are familiar with the DSA 12th c sword, or euro longswords in general. i have a katana and those usually have a thicker blade near the guard, thats why this is all new to me ehe. but the sword is indeed very beautiful, the leather work is just sweet. the sword belt is thick and chunkier than i expected from watching some youtube vids. i ordered a sharpened version, and is definitely far from "katana sharp", its something to work with, though for me the extra charge is probably not worth it. i added some pics about the new sword belts caps, as i haven't seen some pics online yet. (im not sure if i attached it correctly ehe) The pictures from the DSA website would leave you a bit disappointed, they are less detailed and rougher/less polished in person, but i still think they are worth it, its better than nothing. i got the Kreuz Der Kelten, and with the pics, you can see its a bit smaller than the knights templar caps. Attachments:
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Post by William Swiger on Sept 7, 2012 6:44:44 GMT
The blade should be thicker at the base and gradually get thinner at the point. I had one of these and even though it was one of the better ones I had handled, the blade geometry was not good. The last 4-5 inches were thicker than the rest of the sword and could not be sharpened right. Makes a nice display sword.
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Kuya
Registered
Posts: 1,396
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Post by Kuya on Sept 7, 2012 7:03:20 GMT
Uh oh...
Wow, I am seriously glad for this forum. It's saved me from blowing a lot of money on wall-hangars.
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jhart06
Member
Slowly coming back from the depths...
Posts: 3,292
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Post by jhart06 on Sept 7, 2012 7:25:10 GMT
I'm not a fan of DSA, but I would *not* call them wall-hangers, overall. This model may be though. I think it's safe to say DSA are definite project swords, like windlass' majority of offerings. But without a 'Deal of the Day' or the like, it becomes personal preference. To me, not worth it. To some it is. Not bad swords, but not my area of interest.
Just saying, lets not paint with a broad brush too much.
Also- reverse distal taper does happen historically, and Eyal claims they base their pieces on historcial swords, so the basis for this one may have had that, but I don't think they got the metrics right on the taper if they did, as this is not the first one I've heard of (Bill's and others now) that did this, and had the same issues. So I think it may be evidence of a peculiarity in a historical design that was attempted to be replicated and failed.
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Post by Zethren on Sept 7, 2012 8:05:09 GMT
thanks for the replies, your descriptions are spot on, it is definitely heavy, and the blade is a bit funky, but seeing as how it has a good review on the front page of the site, i thought there wont be much of an issue with this sword. how would you compare this to a VA practical LS or knights templar sword? i really wanted a templar themed sword, but the VA knights templar always seem to be out of stock.
as a display piece though, i really liked the width of the blade, looks menacing, even though i hate that its also the reason the blade wiggles a bit, but i actually can get use to it, although now i would probably not recommend this sword to anyone, especially without having held one before buying.
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Post by William Swiger on Sept 7, 2012 8:52:49 GMT
I really liked the looks of this sword and bought one. John Lundemo made one before DSA did and they are very similar. Kept it for a long time (for me anyway). I determined it would never really be a cutter due to the blade. I got a very good edge on mine with alot of work except the last 4-5 inches. When I referred to it as being a nice display sword - it was not meant to be a negative. The sword does look good but was not designed to be a cutter.
I have owed the VA swords you mentioned and found the VA LS to be much more flexible than I like. The Templar was a nice, light bastard sword and the blade was excellent. If I was to replace the one I sold, I would get the peened option but that is just how I like my swords.
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Post by Zethren on Sept 7, 2012 10:16:23 GMT
ah yes, i just found an image, the odinblades templar knight commander, that one does look like a combination of the VA templar and this DSA sword, sweet. i also found a vid of mr ricwilly's for the VA longsword, and i see it seems a bit flexy, but due to the DSA weight, the whippy-ness here is more noticeable. but ive grown fond of it nonetheless, i dont really get to do a lot of backyard cutting anyways, so yes its really not for everyone, specially if its hard to give a good edge.
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